Dental Perspective Research Articles

An Update on Psychiatric Disorders in Relation to Dental Treatment

Psychiatric disorders like depression and anxiety are commonly encountered in patients presenting to dental practitioners. The symptoms at presentation may not always be straightforward and, if not suspected and specifically explored, can often be missed. If unrecognized and hence subsequently untreated, this can have numerous adverse consequences to the patient and the health service. Hence, it is important that dental practitioners are more aware of the varying presentations, assessment and management of psychiatric disorders in their patients. In this paper, we focus on description of the common psychiatric disorders and their assessment from a dental practitioner's perspective. There is clearly a need for greater collaboration between dental practitioners and psychiatrists.

In reply

I would like to thank Dr. Walton for his critical review of the article “Rhinosinusitis: Review from a dental perspective,” and for bringing to our attention the above cited article by Rud and Rud. Although our literature search was as thorough as plausible, this article failed to surface, and I appreciate Dr. Walton bringing it to our attention and to the attention of the Journal readers.

Maintaining dental education and specialist dental care during an outbreak of a new coronavirus infection. Part 1: a deadly viral epidemic begins.

During the three months from March 2003 the economically vibrant city of Hong Kong was seriously dislocated after becoming 'second port of call' of the new and potentially fatal disease, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The uncertainties during that period had a significant impact on the provision of dental care. However the city's only dental hospital continued to function and to support the Faculty of Dentistry of the University of Hong Kong in educating dental students and other members of the dental team. At the time of writing no transmissions of the disease have been attributed to procedures associated with dental healthcare. This article chronicles the sequence of events during the outbreak from a dental perspective. It highlights information that may be useful to dental colleagues who might someday be confronted with similar outbreaks of newly emerged potentially lethal infections.

Sugars and dental caries

A dynamic relation exists between sugars and oral health. Diet affects the integrity of the teeth; quantity, pH, and composition of the saliva; and plaque pH. Sugars and other fermentable carbohydrates, after being hydrolyzed by salivary amylase, provide substrate for the actions of oral bacteria, which in turn lower plaque and salivary pH. The resultant action is the beginning of tooth demineralization. Consumed sugars are naturally occurring or are added. Many factors in addition to sugars affect the caries process, including the form of food or fluid, the duration of exposure, nutrient composition, sequence of eating, salivary flow, presence of buffers, and oral hygiene. Studies have confirmed the direct relation between intake of dietary sugars and dental caries across the life span. Since the introduction of fluoride, the incidence of caries worldwide has decreased, despite increases in sugars consumption. Other dietary factors (eg, the presence of buffers in dairy products; the use of sugarless chewing gum, particularly gum containing xylitol; and the consumption of sugars as part of meals rather than between meals) may reduce the risk of caries. The primary public health measures for reducing caries risk, from a nutrition perspective, are the consumption of a balanced diet and adherence to dietary guidelines and the dietary reference intakes; from a dental perspective, the primary public health measures are the use of topical fluorides and consumption of fluoridated water.

Endodontic status in older U.S. adults: Report of a survey

Aging people experience a number of changes in the root canal systems of teeth that, while they are normal, have the potential to compromise the pulp's response to injury. To better understand the dental perspective on these changes, the authors mailed a questionnaire to diplomates of the American Board of Endodontics. The questions dealt with the respondents' experiences, ages of their patient population and their perception of root canal changes in aging patients. The authors analyzed the data in terms of number of diplomates providing a response and stratified them on the basis of the respondents' number of years in practice. Respondents indicated that the number of patients aged 65 years and older in their practices is increasing. Virtually all of the diplomates agreed that the root canal gets smaller with age, but that this diminution does not contribute to the failure of treatment of affected teeth. Most respondents indicated that aging patients' teeth are in poorer condition than those of younger patients. As the U.S. population ages, clinicians need to have a better understanding of the physiological changes occurring in older patients' teeth that may influence the treatment required to help patients retain their natural dentition. Further studies are needed to determine the impact of aging on dental disease and treatment modalities. Recognition of changes in the dentition of aging patients will lead to more successful treatment, retention of functional natural dentition and better maintenance of general health.

Snoring and Obstructive Sleep Apnea from a Dental Perspective

Proper diagnosis and treatment of sleep-related disorders are best handled via a team approach. This team may include a general dentist treating in conjunction with other sleep specialists. However, to provide care, dentists must have a basic understanding of sleep disorders. This paper provides a dental overview of sleep-related breathing disorders, including key definitions, an outline of a diagnostic protocol, a discussion of the factors involved in decision-making, and a summary of the wide variety of treatment modalities.

A Dental Perspective of Three Hundred Fifty-Five Cases of Gastric Carcinoma

Los avances en los estudios de genética y epigenética modifican algunos conceptos de salud y enfermedad que se habían mantenido intactos durante décadas. En este sentido, en los últimos años se está otorgando un protagonismo creciente a microorganismos que han acompañado durante millones de años de evolución a los seres vivos superiores. Los genes de estos y de su microbiota constituyen un microbioma que interviene en el mantenimiento de la salud. La boca es lugar de asiento de gran variedad de microorganismos, cuyo control ayuda a estabilizar la enfermedad oral y sistémica. El objetivo del presente artículo es actualizar algunos conceptos relativos al microbioma oral y de su vinculación con la salud oral y general.Advances in genetic and epigenetic studies modified some concepts of health and disease that had been kept intact for decades. In this respect, in the last few years, microorganisms that have evolved with superior life forms for millions of years have taken an increased prominence. The genes of organisms and their microbiota constitute a microbiome that intervenes in health maintenance. The oral cavity is inhabited by a variety of microorganisms, their control aids in stabilising oral and systemic disease. The objective of this article is to update some concepts related to oral microbiome and its correlation with general and oral health.